Traditionally, behaviorism, constructivism, and cognitivism are considered to be the dominant learning theories. While much ink has been poured defining and defending each, all might be inadequate to explain learning in today's digital environment. Connectivism is an alternative learning theory that prioritizes the impact of technology and digital resources on the learning process. Much like modernism would give way to postmodernism, connectivism argues that social changes creates changes in people, and being a product of a specific environment, and because learning does not take place in a vacuum, the reliance of technology in the modern era may mean that connectivism is needed as a theory because is supersedes other learning theories due to its attention to technology. As Duke, Harper, and Johnston (2013) wrote, "Stated simply, connectivism is social learning that is networked.
This essay will argue that connectivism is a learning theory by reviewing it's principles, defend connectivism as a learning theory, and detail its applications in a digital world.
I. Principles of Connectivism
There are many principles that make connectivism compelling and relevant to our teaching practice. Of the principles listed above, the most compelling are "learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions" and "ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill." First, the principle of "learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions," is compelling because so often in our society it is "unpopular to have a different opinion as another person. It is essential that students learn how to have a healthy conversation sharing their opinions. Additionally, it is important for students to understand and value the importance of truly listening to and learning from someone who has a different opinion. Like stated above in the example, practice of this skill may take place through collaborative assignments, which allows for diversity of opinions among students in the group. Students then have to collaborate to make decisions on the information that has been presented, which is a learning process (Davis, Edmunds, and Kelly-Bateman, 2012).
Next, the principle of "ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill" is compelling because it is essential for students to be able to make connections in the real world. As a result of increasing technology, collaboration and connection is at a high, as there are so many varieties of ways to collaborate and connect with other people, information, and experiences (Duke, Harper, and Johnston, 2013). Being able to take information from a variety of people, places, and sources and see connections between them is an important skill in and out of the educational world. The following image shows how a person has to make connections between a variety of pieces of information.
Image Citation: Forsythe, Giulia. (2011, April 13). 21st Century Learner. Guilia Forsythe's Photostream. Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/9ypbFU
Additional principles of connectivism
Hogg and Lomicky (2012) tested a theory (based on Downes, 2010 study) that connectivism as a learning strategy is successful when measured by the four properties of diversity, autonomy, interactivity, and openness.
Diversity - established by though both people and content. Different people in an online community bring different "assumptions, perspectives, and points of view" (p. 101). Content offered in a course should bring different perspectives through the different materials, resources, and professionals.
Autonomy - students become active learners because they are in charge of their learning during the course, including their learning outcomes, so that they not only select what they learn, but apply the information to their respective interests.
Interactivity - Connection among students, with continuous interaction the primary goal.
Openness - technology breaks down conventional learning barriers and increases the rate at which information is given.
Hogg and Lomicky (2012) argue that all four properties increase learning, but connectivism's primary benefits seem to be creating the opportunity for out of class interaction and diversity of opinions creating the opportunity for students to explore a multiplicity of perspectives when determining truths.
II. Reasons Why Connectivism is a Learning Theory:
First, connectivism is characterized as the enhancement of how a student learns with the knowledge and perception gained through the addition of a personal network (Siemens, 2004). It is only through these personal networks that the learner can acquire the viewpoint and diversity of opinion to learn to make critical decisions. Since it is impossible to experience everything, the learner can share and learn through collaboration.
Second, the sheer amount of data available makes it impossible for a learner to know all that is needed to critically examine specific situations. Being able to tap into huge databases of knowledge in an instant empowers a learner to seek further knowledge. Such a capacity to acquire knowledge can facilitate research and assist in interpreting patterns.
Third, explaining learning by means of traditional learning theories is severely limited by the rapid change brought about by technology. Connectivism is defined as actionable knowledge, where an understanding of where to find knowledge may be more important than answering how or what that knowledge encompasses."
III. Applications
Connectivsim can be applied to many learning areas including technological impact, instructional practices, and changes to learning environments.
Connectivist principles are compatible with the emerging Web 3.0 technologies and support student learning:
Web 3.0 Technologies Used in eLearning
Basic Principles of Connectivism
smart engines will search, organize, and present reports that include
diverse sources and multi-media elements and present them to the
learner
Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinion.
Provide users links to relevant multimedia information, such as virtual
worlds, augmented reality, and 3-D environments
Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes
or information sources
Machine learning, artificial intelligence, personal avatars, 3D
visualization and interaction.
reLearning may reside in non-human appliances
Reports will update themselves as new information is available,
giving students more time to absorb, think, and participate.
The capacity to know more is more critical than what
is currently known.
Students will spend less time gathering and integrating knowledge and
more time on higher level thinking - synthesizing information,
constructing new knowledge, and applying what they learn
The ability to see connections between fields, ideas,
and concepts is a core skill.
Wikis, Facebook, blogs, tagging, LinkedIn, VR, bookmarking, rss, and
similar technologies will still play a key role in Web 3.0.
Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to
facilitate continual learning.
Connectivism is Relevant to Teaching Practice/Instruction:
Connectivism suggests that learning is a result of social interactions via networks. The principles of the theory both align with and can guide instructional practice in the 21st century. Specifically, instructors can apply these principles to create learning experiences that match how digital natives prefer to learn.
Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.
Teaching Practice Example:
Teachers enable students to be knowledge constructers via collaborative assignments such as writing via Google Docs and developing wikis and websites.
Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
Teaching Practice Example:
Teachers facilitate students’ social connections by fostering the use of social bookmarking, such as Diigo, Pearltrees, etc., and use of social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to connect learners with experts and others with similar interests.
Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
Teaching Practice Example:
Teachers encourage students to subscribe to RSS feeds and use databases, such as EBSCOhost, to acquire knowledge.
Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known.
Teaching Practice Example:
Teachers help students understand how to use various technologies to learn, such as databases, Google Scholar, advanced searches, etc.
Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
Teaching Practice Example:
Teachers facilitate students’ use of social bookmarking applications, social networking sites, blogs, RSS feeds, Skype, etc.
Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
Teaching Practice Example:
Teachers create cross-curricular projects to enable students to make connections.
Teachers encourage the use of mind-mapping tools and graphic organizer applications (LucidChart, Bubbl.us, Poppet, etc.).
Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.
Teaching Practice Example:
Teachers require students to use website evaluation strategies, such as C.R.A.P., to ensure information is accurate and current.
Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision.
Teaching Practice Example:
Teachers create inquiry-based learning projects that require students to decide where and how to locate information and what social networking tools/databases to use.
Teachers require students to engage in continual goal setting and self-monitoring during research projects.
In general, Remington (2015) suggests these four ways to integrate connectivism:
1. Incorporate social networking activities into the curriculum.
2. Encourage learners to join professional communities.
3. Create "Pen Pal" style relationships with learners in another class.
4. Encourage learners to create a professional dashboard.
Minnesota University's Academic Technology Services Department (n.d.) encourages instructors to ask themselves the following questions "about course content that reflect the tenets of connectivism: Is it useful?Is it relevant?Is it interactive?"
Connectivism Aligns with the Information Age, Constant Changes in Technology, and Resulting Changes to the Learning Environment:
Siemens (2004) pointed out changes in "learning culture":
"People will move into a variety of fields during their lifetime, some of which may be unrelated.
Formal education is no longer the majority of our learning. Learning now occurs through communities of practice, personal networks, and work-related tasks.
Learning is no longer limited to schooling; it is a continuous process.
Technology is rewiring our brains by shaping the way that we think.
Both the individual and the organization are learning organisms.
Processes once handled by learning theories can now be delegated to or supported by technology
Instead of just "know-how" and "know-what", learning now involves "know-where" and understanding the most efficient way to find knowledge online" (as cited in Minnesota State University, n.d.).
Foroughi, A. (2015). The Theory of Connectivism: Can It Be Explained and Guide Learning in the Digital Age? Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice Vol. 15(5) 2015
Hogg, N., & Lomicky, C. S. (2012). Connectivism in postsecondary online courses: An exploratory factor analysis. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 13(2), 95-114.
Traditionally, behaviorism, constructivism, and cognitivism are considered to be the dominant learning theories. While much ink has been poured defining and defending each, all might be inadequate to explain learning in today's digital environment. Connectivism is an alternative learning theory that prioritizes the impact of technology and digital resources on the learning process. Much like modernism would give way to postmodernism, connectivism argues that social changes creates changes in people, and being a product of a specific environment, and because learning does not take place in a vacuum, the reliance of technology in the modern era may mean that connectivism is needed as a theory because is supersedes other learning theories due to its attention to technology. As Duke, Harper, and Johnston (2013) wrote, "Stated simply, connectivism is social learning that is networked.
This essay will argue that connectivism is a learning theory by reviewing it's principles, defend connectivism as a learning theory, and detail its applications in a digital world.
I. Principles of Connectivism
There are many principles that make connectivism compelling and relevant to our teaching practice. Of the principles listed above, the most compelling are "learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions" and "ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill." First, the principle of "learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions," is compelling because so often in our society it is "unpopular to have a different opinion as another person. It is essential that students learn how to have a healthy conversation sharing their opinions. Additionally, it is important for students to understand and value the importance of truly listening to and learning from someone who has a different opinion. Like stated above in the example, practice of this skill may take place through collaborative assignments, which allows for diversity of opinions among students in the group. Students then have to collaborate to make decisions on the information that has been presented, which is a learning process (Davis, Edmunds, and Kelly-Bateman, 2012).
Next, the principle of "ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill" is compelling because it is essential for students to be able to make connections in the real world. As a result of increasing technology, collaboration and connection is at a high, as there are so many varieties of ways to collaborate and connect with other people, information, and experiences (Duke, Harper, and Johnston, 2013). Being able to take information from a variety of people, places, and sources and see connections between them is an important skill in and out of the educational world. The following image shows how a person has to make connections between a variety of pieces of information.
Image Citation:
Forsythe, Giulia. (2011, April 13). 21st Century Learner. Guilia Forsythe's Photostream. Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/9ypbFU
Additional principles of connectivism
Hogg and Lomicky (2012) tested a theory (based on Downes, 2010 study) that connectivism as a learning strategy is successful when measured by the four properties of diversity, autonomy, interactivity, and openness.
- Diversity - established by though both people and content. Different people in an online community bring different "assumptions, perspectives, and points of view" (p. 101). Content offered in a course should bring different perspectives through the different materials, resources, and professionals.
- Autonomy - students become active learners because they are in charge of their learning during the course, including their learning outcomes, so that they not only select what they learn, but apply the information to their respective interests.
- Interactivity - Connection among students, with continuous interaction the primary goal.
- Openness - technology breaks down conventional learning barriers and increases the rate at which information is given.
Hogg and Lomicky (2012) argue that all four properties increase learning, but connectivism's primary benefits seem to be creating the opportunity for out of class interaction and diversity of opinions creating the opportunity for students to explore a multiplicity of perspectives when determining truths.II. Reasons Why Connectivism is a Learning Theory:
First, connectivism is characterized as the enhancement of how a student learns with the knowledge and perception gained through the addition of a personal network (Siemens, 2004). It is only through these personal networks that the learner can acquire the viewpoint and diversity of opinion to learn to make critical decisions. Since it is impossible to experience everything, the learner can share and learn through collaboration.
Second, the sheer amount of data available makes it impossible for a learner to know all that is needed to critically examine specific situations. Being able to tap into huge databases of knowledge in an instant empowers a learner to seek further knowledge. Such a capacity to acquire knowledge can facilitate research and assist in interpreting patterns.
Third, explaining learning by means of traditional learning theories is severely limited by the rapid change brought about by technology. Connectivism is defined as actionable knowledge, where an understanding of where to find knowledge may be more important than answering how or what that knowledge encompasses."
III. Applications
Connectivsim can be applied to many learning areas including technological impact, instructional practices, and changes to learning environments.
Connectivist principles are compatible with the emerging Web 3.0 technologies and support student learning:
diverse sources and multi-media elements and present them to the
learner
worlds, augmented reality, and 3-D environments
or information sources
visualization and interaction.
giving students more time to absorb, think, and participate.
is currently known.
more time on higher level thinking - synthesizing information,
constructing new knowledge, and applying what they learn
and concepts is a core skill.
similar technologies will still play a key role in Web 3.0.
facilitate continual learning.
Connectivism is Relevant to Teaching Practice/Instruction:
Connectivism suggests that learning is a result of social interactions via networks. The principles of the theory both align with and can guide instructional practice in the 21st century. Specifically, instructors can apply these principles to create learning experiences that match how digital natives prefer to learn.
In general, Remington (2015) suggests these four ways to integrate connectivism:
1. Incorporate social networking activities into the curriculum.
2. Encourage learners to join professional communities.
3. Create "Pen Pal" style relationships with learners in another class.
4. Encourage learners to create a professional dashboard.
Minnesota University's Academic Technology Services Department (n.d.) encourages instructors to ask themselves the following questions "about course content that reflect the tenets of connectivism: Is it useful? Is it relevant? Is it interactive?"
Connectivism Aligns with the Information Age, Constant Changes in Technology, and Resulting Changes to the Learning Environment:
Siemens (2004) pointed out changes in "learning culture":
References:
Davis, C., Edmunds, E., and Kelly-Bateman, V. (2012, January 26). Connectivism. Retrieved November 8, 2017 from website http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Connectivism
Duke, B., Harper, G., and Johnston, M. (2013). Connectivism as a Digital Age Learning Theory. Retrieved November 8, 2017 from website
https://www.hetl.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/HETLReview2013SpecialIssueArticle1.pdf
Foroughi, A. (2015). The Theory of Connectivism: Can It Be Explained and Guide Learning in the Digital Age? Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice Vol. 15(5) 2015
Hogg, N., & Lomicky, C. S. (2012). Connectivism in postsecondary online courses: An exploratory factor analysis. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 13(2), 95-114.
Minnesota State University. (n.d.). Connectivism. Retrieved November 8, 2017, from Academic Technology Services website: https://www.mnsu.edu/its/academic/mavlearn/learn_theory/connectivism.html
Remington, K. (2015, March 19). Connectivism: Learning as a community. Retrieved November 8, 2017, from Designed to Learn website: http://lpd.nau.edu/connectivism-learning-as-a-community/
Tu, C.-H., Dr. (n.d.). Connectivism and strategies. Retrieved November 8, 2017, from Networking Learning Environment at NAU website: https://sites.google.com/site/etcnle/connectivism-strategies